Those with ties to Melville Dairy invited to reunion

A vintage Melville Dairy advertisement describes a contest to name the company's ponies.

By Mike Wilder/Times-News

Published: Wednesday, October 10, 2012 at 06:18 PM.

Henderson Scott grew up knowing a lot about cows and milk.

“I milked cows from the time I was 8 to 18,” he said.

Scott’s father, Ralph Scott, was one of the founders Melville Dairy, a name well known to many county residents. Started by Ralph Scott and his brother, Henry, in 1927, the dairy operated for four decades.

The public is invited to events at
Alamance
Community College
’s Graham campus on Saturday that will focus on the dairy’s history, along with a Friday evening event for former employees and others with close connections to the dairy, that will kick off an exhibit at the college about the dairy.

The dairy started in the Hawfields community and soon moved its distribution center to downtown
Burlington
.

In the mid-1930s, Scott said with some humor, “We moved to
Worth Street
in
Burlington
– except for the cows. The cows were still down here,” in the county’s Hawfields community. As the dairy expanded, most of the milk continued to come from that community and neighboring parts of the county.

Scott’s father, Ralph Scott, was one of the founders Melville Dairy, a name well known to many county residents. Started by Ralph Scott and his brother, Henry, in 1927, the dairy operated for four decades.

The public is invited to events at AlamanceCommunity College’s Graham campus on Saturday that will focus on the dairy’s history, along with a Friday evening event for former employees and others with close connections to the dairy, that will kick off an exhibit at the college about the dairy.

The dairy started in the Hawfields community and soon moved its distribution center to downtown Burlington.

In the mid-1930s, Scott said with some humor, “We moved to Worth Street in Burlington – except for the cows. The cows were still down here,” in the county’s Hawfields community. As the dairy expanded, most of the milk continued to come from that community and neighboring parts of the county.

Despite time away attending college and serving in the military, Scott saw many changes in how the dairy operated.

When it made the switch to electric milking machines, Scott said, “At the time, it was quite modern.”

Sometimes, the dairy took what seemed a step back – but with a reason.

“We used it mostly in town,” Scott said, where routes were shorter. “Once a horse learned a route, the driver could make really good time.”

Melville Dairy was sold to Guilford Dairy in 1968.

MELVILLE DAIRY was known for its effective marketing, perhaps especially when it involved appealing to children.

In 1958, the dairy held a “Name the Ponies Contest” to find names for a six-pony hitch. The ponies were available for children’s birthday parties and other occasions.

As a 5-year-old child, David Payne won the contest. The prize was a pony he and his family named “Prince.”

“It was a little Shetland pony,” he said.

His mother, Faye Payne Alexander, doesn’t recall all of the winning names, but said they came from classic nursery rhymes.

“The stallion was Old King Cole,” she said, with the mares given names such as Little Bo Peep. “If I had a book of nursery rhymes, I could pick them all out.”

Winning a pony could have been a mixed blessing for some, but Alexander said her family was prepared.

“His daddy had built a barn because he had bought him a pony,” she said, and there was an extra stall.

AFTER THE EXHIBIT opens this weekend, it will stay on display through February or March, said Peggy Boswell. She is curator of the Scott Family Collection at AlamanceCommunity College.

Former employers or others with close ties to the dairy – including family members of those who once worked there – are asked to call Boswell if they would like to attend an event at the college from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday. Her number there is 336-506-4203.

The public event is planned from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

Restored Melville Dairy milk trucks — which have been driven in local Christmas parades — will be in front of the main building at the college’s Graham campus.

Ice cream and other dairy products will be available for sampling.

People will be able to tour the nearby Covington Dairy Farm and, if they arrive by 1 p.m., can take a shuttle to see the cows being milked.

After the opening events, the exhibit will be open during the Scott Family Collection’s regular hours. The collection, which details the family’s contributions in areas such as politics and government, education, agriculture and medicine, is open from 8 to 5 p.m. each Tuesday and Thursday and from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. each Wednesday. Groups wanting to request a guided tour are asked to call Boswell to set one up.